Oh, To Fly Coach

When we taxied onto the runway the pilot throttled up those two massive engines and we were immediately screaming down the runway. As we accelerated, the noise was tremendous, at a level I hadn’t considered.

Between the engines roaring and the noisy accelerating wind at hurricane force, I gripped whatever I could for dear life. I wasn’t sure how much longer this would last, but we finally lifted off as the landing gear came up.

In stark terror I just tried to hang on and stay out of the way. That’s right, hang on. On THIS flight I’m not going to get food or drink service, and I won’t get to see a movie either. So, is my preference a window seat or the aisle?

“Yes.”

First class or coach?

“Yes.”

I have only flown once on a plane before. Was I apprehensive? I wouldn’t say I was “apprehensive.” I would say I was terrified! SCARED…TO…DEATH!

This time? This time it’s worse. MUCH worse. You see, no one knows I’m here. I’m a stowaway in the main landing-gear compartment of this jetliner. I would LOVE to be in coach. To be honest, I would rather be in the baggage hold, but there were just way too many baggage handlers to be able to climb in and not be noticed.

I boarded this flight, a Boeing 767, in Nairobi, Kenya, going to Geneva, Switzerland with my backpack fully loaded and while I was still wearing my work coveralls and safety vest.

I knew some of the details of this flight because I was working this flight earlier this morning and it’s a regularly scheduled flight every day. I get assigned to it pretty often.

I’m a baggage handler with a third party service company at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

My two coworkers, Mike and Daniel, were the only ones I could trust to pull this off and in my desperation, the main landing gear compartment of this particular aircraft was going to be my only option. With THIS plane I’ll know for sure where it’s going.

After all the baggage doors were closed and secured, almost all of our co-workers headed off to their next assignments. However, Mike and Daniel lagged behind to assist me. By now, the fuel trucks and the other support vehicles had left this airplane as well. Daniel went into the terminal above to signal by the inside windows when no one’s watching, while Mike kept watch outside by me.

I handed Mike my blanket and I climbed into the main gear wheel bay with a little boost from Mike.

Daniel had given the “All clear” from inside the terminal. We were parked close enough under the terminal windows that no one was likely to see what we were doing under the wing of the jet.

I have plenty of food and water in my backpack, a jacket, and I even brought a flashlight. I also kept my orange safety vest on. Not so much for here, but for when I think it’s safe to climb out once in Geneva. If someone there happens to see me climbing out, my hope is that they’ll assume I’m a maintenance guy or something.

Once I got situated inside the wheel well, Mike handed me my blanket and wished me luck. Then he scurried away as quickly as he could before anyone would get suspicious.

There’s one small space in the right rear of the bay to sit but you have to sit on some sort of metal rod with your knees together, and it’s NOT comfortable. I put my back pack on my lap and then wrapped myself in my blanket. Since we had watched the co-pilot do his walk-around checks earlier, I should be able to remain here unnoticed.

My name is Maxwell Timna, an 18 year old and I’m in a spot of trouble. So much trouble in fact, that I was afraid I would have to leave the city in a hurry when the time came. So I had my backpack all ready to go and stored in my work locker just in case I couldn’t go back home. As it turned out, I couldn’t go back home.

Three days ago I was passing by an alley and saw some local thugs. They work for one of the most notorious and violent drug-lords known in Kenya. His name is “Tubby.” Tubby was wanted both by local authorities and the United States. By the local authorities for crimes against humanity, and by the Americans because he and his goons had robbed and killed a small group of American aid workers and he’s been in hiding ever since. He was wanted by local authorities for a variety of other heinous acts as well. If it’s illegal, Tubby’s into it. Sex trafficking, prostitution, extortion, robberies, you name it.

They were pummeling this person in that alley with clubs. The person on the ground already appeared to be motionless but they kept beating him anyway.

I recognized one of the thugs as a troublemaker named Nikko that I went to school with as a boy. The mistake I made was I stopped when I should have kept moving. They looked up and saw me and all I heard was, “HEY,” as they immediately came after me. I took off off and didn’t look back. I’ve never ran so fast in my life. It’s pretty well known here that people who cross this gang end up dead. And that poor guy they were beating? I heard later that he was found dead in that alley…and I’M a witness. It’s not like the police don’t try when they have an opportunity with these guys. The problem is witnesses disappear.

I hid near some abandoned buildings until it was safe to come out. I’m sure Nikko recognized me since we run into each other from time to time and chat a little. He knows where I live and work so I couldn’t go home. I decided to head to my coworker Mike’s house since Nikko wouldn’t know any of the people I work with. Then I’ll begin to figure out what to do next or where to go. Besides, I can always go to work with Mike because as long as I’m at work I’m safe since the thugs wouldn’t be able to pass through security.

Here we go. We just lifted off and now the landing gear was coming up so I had to press myself as tight to the rear corner of the compartment as I could while still hanging on for fear of death. I instantly started rethinking this option. Is there enough room in here or will I be crushed?

Finally the wheels locked into position and the landing gear doors closed, locking me in. My heart was pounding out of my chest but I wasn’t crushed. However, it was extremely dark. I could hear the wind howling like a hurricane out there. And being so near the engines? Oh my Lord, that was loud.

I began fumbling around in my jacket pockets for my flashlight. It was so dark in the compartment that I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face. “Ah, there it is.” I flicked it on and all I saw was a mass of wires and tubing. I’m sitting facing the rear of the plane on its left side, so the landing gear folded upwards to my right, inches from my face. As the jet climbed higher it got a little bumpy, but more than that, I could tell the temperature was dropping fast.

In the three days I stayed with Mike I was was able to do some research. I had considered this option more or less as a fantasy. In my research I saw where a teenager hid in the main-gear bay of a Boeing 767 right in the section where I am. Anywhere else and you would likely be crushed. I also learned that since 1947 there’s been about 100 of these type of stowaways and only 25 survived. Not good. But from what I know of Nikko’s drug-lord Tubby and his brutality, I knew I couldn’t leave the airport anymore, so now I’m risking THIS insanity instead.

I never meant to do anything this extreme. I don’t have a passport and I wouldn’t have had time to wait for one, so I thought if nothing else, I would grab my backpack from my locker and sneak on a bus and go to another city far across the country. But all that changed when I heard through other coworkers that Nikko and other members of Tubby’s crew were spotted around the terminal. I couldn’t chance going into the main terminal again.

That’s when I told Mike and Daniel my desperate plan. We briefly talked it out and the rest is history. I grabbed my backpack and blanket from my locker and, instead of going to the bus or train station, I climbed aboard Flight 2338 to Geneva…literally.

Here in this wheel compartment I could feel when we would turn and I could tell that we were still climbing because those engines were blasting 100 percent full power. I should have brought some hearing protection but I didn’t think of it. I also noticed that it wasn’t just getting colder faster, but it was getting more difficult to breathe.

My research also told me that one could slip into unconsciousness and that as the body cools the central nervous system is preserved. If you can survive, you sort of hibernate. It helps that inside this bay it’s a little warmer than the outside air temperature so I wouldn’t get that immediate freezing of the skin. The article said the outside air temperature up here can be -40 to -70, depending on the cruising altitude. I have no idea how high we’ll be.

Wrapped in my thin blanket I nestled in, ate an energy bar, drank some water, and tried to stay calm. The occasional turbulence made it very uncomfortable since I’m sitting on some kind of rod or bar. I noticed that the flight crew throttled back the engines and I could feel us leveling off. By now I had a bad headache that I’m sure was due to the lack of oxygen. It was really hard to breathe and even in a jacket wrapped with a blanket, I was freezing.

I started contemplating everything. Like, “When we start to land, and they lower the wheels, will I be able to hold on and NOT plunge to my death?”

Or, “If I survive this ordeal, what do I tell the authorities in Switzerland that they would allow me to stay?”

And what’s with this headache? My head feels like it’s splitting. I’m starting to feel very groggy. Is this because of the lack of oxygen? Will I die up here? We’ve been flying level now for about twenty minutes now. How will…how does…I’m feeling so…confused…

…“Bam!” Whoa, what was that? Turbulence. Wow, I banged my head on something. I woke up freezing. I think we’re descending because the engines aren’t near as loud and my ears are popping like crazy. I was feeling very disoriented. Was I asleep? Am I dead? How long was I out? I can sense that we were descending and I could hear the flaps being extended. Each time they extended the wind got louder, like a rumbling noise, and it would start shaking us pretty bad.

I still feel groggy but my headache is going away so I must be getting more oxygen now. I turned on my flashlight so I could be sure of what to hold on to because I don’t know when these doors are going to open and I still don’t feel I have my wits about me yet. It was getting less turbulent now and I could also hear the jet engines slowing and becoming less loud.

We seemed to be turning left and right as my ears kept popping. I could hear the flaps actuating again. Each time they did it got bumpier and the wind roared louder. Then there was a loud startling noise as the bay doors began to open. The wheels unlocked from their stored position and started dropping away. The wind noise hitting the now extended wheels combined with the engines revving up were enough to fill me with panic. I held on just a little tighter.

I could see city lights everywhere and we weren’t that far off the ground. We made one more turn to the right as we were descending. We must be lined up with the runway now because we look way too low for another turn. Sure enough, I saw runway lights flashing by and then pavement.

“Thump!” We were on the ground when suddenly those engines got louder and louder. I could feel that it was somehow slowing us down quickly. As we turned off of the runway the noise finally subsided as I heard the flaps moving again.

I think we taxied for about ten minutes or so before we parked. My plan now is to remain hidden until all the baggage and cargo is unloaded since there will be a lot of activity around this plane for a while. Right about then the engines shut off. It became so quiet it almost hurt. Suddenly I heard a lot of unusual activity going on. There were a lot of flashing lights reflecting everywhere like police lights. They went flying past, stopping here by the plane. There was a lot of commotion. Had I been spotted? No way, I haven’t seen anyone under here yet. Did they somehow learn I had stowed away? I had no idea what was going on so I just stayed put.

I remained there silent and still. I suddenly noticed a ramp worker chock the tires below me but thankfully he never looked up. Why would he? Then he left for somewhere else. I did sneak some water though and was surprised at how fast I was guzzling it. Before long all of those emergency vehicles left. I think I stayed there about 1-1/2 hours more before deciding it’s time to move. I peered out and looked around as much as I could. Seeing no activity going on around this plane, I stuffed my blanket in my jacket, put on my backpack, and started climbing down. I took another quick look but saw no one that would notice me.

I tried to trot over to the building and noticed I was still a little unsteady. I went towards a set of metal double doors and threw the backpack and blanket in a dumpster there. I couldn’t just leave them in the wheel bay for fear they could jam the landing gear somehow. My conscience wouldn’t allow me to do that. All my important papers and identification were in zipped up pockets in my jacket. I even brought an article that mentioned the person I witnessed murdered. The article said that they believed it to be the work of the drug-lord Tubby and/or his gang. I thought that maybe the article could support my claim.

There were some workers in the distance coming my way. I quickly went through the double doors where some other workers were speaking German, I think. They noticed me and one said something to me. I couldn’t understand him. Then he tried English. I too speak English so I began making stuff up as to what I’m doing there. They saw my orange vest but they seemed puzzled. Apparently they were suspicious of me because someone must have slipped away and called security.

When security arrived they arrived with Customs agents with them and I was arrested. I guessed it was just as well because I would have had to eventually turn myself in to the authorities anyway. I just hadn’t had the time to think this all through so I really didn’t have much of a plan if I were to actually survived this trip. Now, I guess my only hope is to be granted asylum here in Switzerland.

I was detained and questioned for two days here in Geneva by a few men in uniform but at least I was warm and I was being fed. During my first day in detention I told them about what I had witnessed back in Nairobi and the gang of the drug-lord Tubby that was pursuing me. I told them how notoriously brutal this clan was and I fled for my life. They questioned me a lot of how I stowed away on the plane and I told them everything. I also gave them the article about what I had witnessed in hopes that they would believe me. I was suddenly thrown for a loop.

They already KNEW about Tubby and his heinous crimes and had been monitoring and tracking him for months. They had learned through all their surveillance that he was coming to Geneva with one of his lieutenants for a secret meeting, a meeting that they told me no more about. Apparently Tubby and his lieutenant were traveling under assumed names and were disguised. So that’s what all the crazy activity was around the plane when it landed. They were waiting for him.

We theorized that since Tubby was flying to Switzerland on “business” anyway, he probably had his minions see if they could maybe find me at work.

“Wait, so Tubby was on THIS flight?”

“Yes,” said the officer interrogating me.

“And shortly afterwards, most of his gang was arrested back in Nairobi as well. They are effectively, no more. Some of them are likely to be extradited to the U. S. along with Tubby because of the Americans that were killed.”

I was completely stunned by this news.

“So, it looks like there is no longer any basis for you to be seeking asylum here in Switzerland,” the officer said.

“As long as our investigation of your story and your history checks out, you’ll likely be sent back home in a few days, young man.”

I replied, “As long as I’m in no danger going back, I would prefer to go home.”

“Well, for now you’re somewhat of a celebrity after surviving that stunt you pulled. You’re all over the news today.”

“I was just too terrified of what would happen to me if they caught me,” I stated.

“Well, when the time comes, we’ll arrange for your flight back to Kenya…INSIDE this time,” the officer said.

Then while grinning he asked, “Are you okay with coach?”